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Updated: Star Wars Tatooine villages in Tunisia are safe from ISIS

Updated: In late March, we here at Inhabitat were duped like many other news sites, when CNN reported that ISIS had taken control of the famous Tunisian Star Wars sets, which represent Luke Skywalker’s desert planet of Tatooine. Thanks to our many astute fans, we’ve been made aware that the story is untrue, and now we’re rollicking in the hilarity of Buzzfeed’s roundup of memes that have surfaced, poking fun of the false reports. We send our sincere apologies to our friends in Tunisia! Our original story is after the jump, if you’re interested in reading what all the buzz is about.

The terrorist group has become increasingly active in Tunisia, and the Star Wars sets are now used as a way station for ISIS fighters travelling to and from training bases in Libya. As a result, CNN and The Guardian have reported that assorted arms caches have been found in the region, which contain ammunition and RPGs.

The shooting at the Bardo Museum in Tunis earlier this month was a shocking reminder to the country how easy it is for ISIS members to drift over the border. As a result, security has been stepped up in major cities, but not so the isolated Star Wars sets. Considering that many tourists visit Tunisia to see the Star Wars sets (not to mention that it’s where Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed as well), ISIS’s presence could seriously damage the economy—not to mention the culture, as many fighters have destroyed historical artifacts in the region.